First presented as papers in a symposium on literacy conducted at the University of Alabama, essays in this volume explore three areas of human literacy--law, linguistics, and the English language; testing; and literacy's relation with culture and human consciousness. Following an introduction examining literacy as a human problem, the following…

This examination of the inconsistencies between public education and democracy in America proposes "individual freedom of intellect and belief" through the educational empowerment of individual families and through government deregulation of school content. Following an introduction and information about the author, the book focuses on…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The five titles deal with the following topics: (1) a comparison of manuscript writing at the beginning of first grade with reading achievement at the end of first grade, (2) using text comprehension as a metaphor for understanding…

Conference papers and discussions presented in this volume reflect recent research results that suggest the human infant is not a tabula rasa but an organism endowed at birth with an array of capabilities. Contents focus on several issues, including the possibility that infants have a rich affective life from their earliest days and that even…

This report contains six research papers and a summary of a panel discussion on the topic of cognition and the adult learner. The papers are as follows: "Psychology and Adult Cognition" (Wilbert J. McKeachie); "Biology and Adult Cognition" (Frank Farley); "Technology and Adult Cognition" (Barbara Grabowski); "Enhancing Cognitive Skills" (Richard…

The paper identifies and addresses four methodological weaknesses common to most previous studies that have used LISREL confirmatory factor analysis to test for the factorial validity and invariance of a single measuring instrument. Specifically, the paper demonstrates the steps involved in: (1) conducting sensitivity analyses to determine a…

This document is a compilation of separate papers concerning the planned 1990 recompetition for the nine Regional Educational Laboratories, sponsored by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education, as follows: (1) "Report of the Laboratory Review Panel on the 1987 Review of Laboratories"…

This book contains the proceedings of a seminar that investigated the impact of cognitive and social development on the teaching of science in secondary schools, and the possible ways in which the science curriculum could be a context in which adolescents' development could be positively influenced. Six plenary papers were presented: (1) "Research…

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential impact of maternal attributions and self-attributions on the academic achievement of father-absent children in comparison to commonly identified family interaction and demographic variables. Subjects included 33 male and 34 female father-absent sixth graders (mean age of 11.6 years) and their…

This paper describes classroom activities developed around constructivist learning theories (that is, students are always learning because they are constantly constructing their own personal meanings and reflecting on them) as they are applied to English as a Second Language and remedial English students in a secondary classroom dominated by…

Vocational education is likely to change dramatically as society as a whole continues to change in the future. Research conducted by vocational education specialists will likely result in a new scope and sequence of vocational instruction. New theories of vocational education will be developed, as will new instructional methods based on these…

The use of environmental scanning by three colleges at Northern Arizona University is discussed. The environment confronting each college is described, along with the process that was used to direct change to improve the efficient use of human and fiscal resources. The process involved: scanning the internal and external environments, establishing…

There is always the possibility that educational research does not result in developments within the classroom. This yearbook attempts to address that situation by making teachers more aware of what research exists. It contains a collection of articles which deal with such topics as: (1) new teaching strategies; (2) the theoretical background of…

Trends in emphases in the study of clinical reasoning are examined, with attention to three major branches of research: problem-solving, knowledge engineering, and propositional analysis. There has been a general progression from a focus on the generic form of clinical reasoning to an emphasis on medical content that supports the reasoning…

Noting that successful comprehension, problem solving, and decision making are dependent upon activation and appropriate application of relevant schemata of existing knowledge, this report examines the practice of oversimplifying information in the content areas to make teaching and studying easier, and the dangers inherent in doing so. The report…